Paradox Fighters, Part 2
by benji.dordoni
Summary: After defying the Master of Games, Holly Short and Katniss Everdeen ponder what will happen next. The answer: A brutal new objective based challenge. Teams are formed, and it becomes obvious that more and more fighters understand the Combat's true nature. Rated T for violence and disturbing imagery. Please check out Part 1 and also review.
1. No I in Team

_PREVIOUSLY, IN PARADOX FIGHTERS: The greatest warriors from across many universes have been assembled for a Grand Combat. The contestants wake in a mysterious facility, knowing nothing about how they got there. The mysterious Master of Games explains that they must engage in mortal combat to determine the champion. Police elf Holly Short and Hunger Games Tribute Katniss Everdeen square off in the first round. When it appears that Holly will win, she spares the girl, causing the Master of Games to call off the tournament temporarily._

The common hall was set for breakfast, and everywhere the little cliques the warriors had formed were chattering amongst themselves. Friendships had been formed, and the contestants were glad that they wouldn't have to be shattered by bloodshed. Most everyone was in a good mood- that is, except the perpetually melancholy Katniss.

She had decided that it was never going to be safe-any of it. It was all too much like the Games, after all. The sparse gray walls were like the training rooms and the food was all too reminiscent of the decadent Capitol stuff. Katniss never thought she would take good food for granted, but she wanted to distance herself from those times so much that the mere sight of a dinner roll made her queasy. Another upsetting thing was the contestants' bizarre physical state. Before this awful festival of everything that was what she hated began, Katniss was a mother, living in a free Panem, and writing a book with her husband. She woke up in this wretched place a teenager, panicked and vulnerable. She overheard conversations among the other contestants that confirmed this- quite a few recalled dying before being brought here. The Master of Games (Katniss didn't like to say or think about the name, it reminded her too much of _Gamemaker_.) had put them in the bodies they had in their fighting prime. It was sick.

So Katniss sat alone at her table, cradling her head in her hands and trying to stay awake. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night on the account of cruel nightmares, and as a result was in a foul mood. Through heavy eyelids she spotted Holly Short, the elf who spared her yesterday. _How ironic,_ Katniss thought. _She makes a better Mockingjay than me._ She tried to not beat herself up too much. Yesterday she had been so consumed by fear that she had become a senseless animal. She had an excuse. _Today,_ she promised, _I will be sociable._ Katniss gestured for Holly to join her at her table and the elf complied, bringing a new companion.

"Well. You look like you slept well."

The elf's sarcasm was as sharp as a knife under the ribs.

"You're _so_ funny, Holly. Who's the muscle?"

"Muscle" was an understatement on Katniss' part. The man who had been talking with Holly earlier and had come to the table with her was a wall of rusted armor and sinew. He wore a vicious-looking helmet with cruelly curved horns and possessed an unruly beard and haircut.

"Honestly, I still don't know his name," Holly replied while leaning over to Katniss and adding under her breath, "he's a bit odd."

The man chuckled lightly and answered in a deep, soft voice.

"I told you before, Guardslady Short. My name has been lost to the ages. What will remain always is my title- _Dovahkiin._" He sat there for a moment, appearing to wait for a response. Katniss and Holly both waited for explanation.

"It means Dragon-born. I possess a dragon's soul," he attempted to explain, but still going far over Katniss's head. Holly made the most of the situation.

"Then shouldn't you give it back to him?" Holly said with a smirk. Katniss managed to snicker a little at that one. The Dovahkiin, however, did not seem as entertained.

"The mer's humor is lost on me. But you, child- what is your title?"

"Well… people called me the Mockingjay. I was a figurehead of a rebellion. You can call me Katniss, though."

The Dovahkiin nodded.

"Rebelling against the oppressor is an honorable deed. You have marked a place for yourself in the story-halls as a lady of valor and virtue." Katniss nodded and gave a look that to the Dovahkiin showed gratitude and to Holly showed that she had no idea what he just said.

A tall man in gray robes entered the common hall. The Dovahkiin stood up and began to leave.

"I am sorry for the interruption, but yonder mage has summoned me. He requests an audience with a select few, and I have the pleasure to be one of them. Have a good day." The armor-clad man strode away.

"It takes all kinds," oiled Katniss. "Some crazier than others. How did you get to talking to that pincushion?"

"He came up to me as I was eating," whispered Holly. "Honestly, I think he was checking me out."

"So what do you think of him?"

"Oh, I… I'm kind of… committed already. He's not my type, either."

"I would think your type would be a little less tall."

"Oh, you're a riot. What about you, though? Do you have a special someone?"

"I'm married."

Holly was a little alarmed at first, but then caught on.

"Of course! If the dead fighters were brought back, then the living ones must have been returned to their fighting primes, while retaining the memories of their lives!"

"Yeah, that. Anyway- what do you think about the tournament's hiatus?"

"It won't last a day," Holly said confidently, until she realized that she had just implied there would be more chances for Katniss to get hurt, or worse. "Or maybe it will!" Holly corrected herself. "Whatever the case, we girls, we'll stick together, right?"

"That's what they say at first," grunted Katniss, feeling hurt.

Holly was going to apologize when the Master of Games, who had a knack for interrupting things, whirled into his throne on the far side of the room.

"Good day to you, my fine warriors! I hope you find your breakfast enjoyable!"

There were a few pleased murmurs from the contestants, but Katniss made a point to boo loudly.

"I would like to comment on my decision from yesterday," he carried on. "For my tournament to continue in a valid fashion, physical combat _is _necessary."

Katniss felt a weight in the pit of her stomach.

"However, I've decided that our next few challenges will not be trials of mortal combat. Instead, I have set up a few objectives for you to complete. Your performance will be judged by some new guests."

The Master of Games rose from his throne and clapped twice, causing the room behind him to double in size. Two massive structures rose from the ground, and one descended from the ceiling. Lights flickered on around these structures and they began to hum softly.

"I'll let them introduce themselves."

Katniss nudged Holly gently.

"What are those?"

"Supercomputers, it looks like. Be quiet."

The first of the computers, situated on the far left of the Master, spoke first in a reasonable human voice.

"Hello. I am the great computer Deep Thought. I would like to congratulate Miss Everdeen and Miss Short on resolving the conflict yesterday without anyone being killed."

Katniss found it odd to be complimented by a machine, but Holly seemed to be soaking it in.

The second computer, which had descended from the ceiling, cut in.

"Well, isn't that nice. Another example of humans not being able to finish something."

Katniss didn't like this computer's voice. It was always shifting pitches and seemed cold.

"If I was in that elf's place, I would have shoved a large chunk of limestone in the girl's frontal lobe while I had the chance. But I'm getting off topic. I am a Genetic Life-form and Disk Operating System. GLaDOS, so you stupid humans won't forget halfway through saying it."

The Master attempted to do damage control.

"Well, uhm, she can be a little strongly-opinioned, can't she? Ha ha! Now, for our last new guest!"

The final computer began an eerie monotone.

"Thank you, Master. I am a HAL 9000 supercomputer, the ultimate in processing power and reliability. I would like to remind the contestants that our calculations will be done in the most efficient matter possible, _no matter what_. I will let the Master of Games introduce today's challenge."

The Master clapped again and the computers disappeared.

"Now, on to today's challenge. Since you all like making friends _so much_," A laser-like glare was directed at Holly and Katniss. "Today you will be participating in a team exercise. Three teams will compete in an urban environment to achieve three goals to the best of your abilities. Each team has one token- for your team to win, you must collect all three. You must also locate a cache of weapons specifically for your team. Finally, you must incapacitate as many members of the other teams as possible. Killing blows are… optional."

Various murmurs rose from the crowd. The Dovahkiin stepped out of the rabble briefly.

"Guardslady Short?"

"Take it easy, Dragon-born."

"There's no need to _assume_. I wanted to tell you that I have unfortunately been recruited to another team. I'm _so _sorry, milady," he said, kissing Holly's hand goodbye.

Katniss managed to chuckle a little at this.

"Shut up, you. This isn't funny. It's _disturbing._"

"Gosh. This is one of the morbid moments in my life, you know, and then something like this happens that's completely out of place."

"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Not at all."

Holly looked around. Perhaps they should find other warriors to fill out their ranks. She didn't have to wait long, as the uniformed boy from yesterday budged his way into their midst. He gave a stern look at Holly.

"The 'alien' joke yesterday? Wasn't funny," he stated, as if his opinion applied to everyone who ever lived.

"But you two proved that you're decent people, once you get past the irreverence," He nodded at Holly, "and bursts of psychotic self-defense," He gestured toward Katniss.

"Thanks. You make me feel like a million bucks," said Holly dryly.

"You two know that your team needs a pilot, and-"

"You're right. Have you seen any?" Katniss was surprised Holly could be so glib at a time like this.

Amuro was infuriated at this point.

"So I come over here, volunteering to help you, and this is what I get?"

"Don't worry. You're in," Katniss spoke up. "But let me give you a warning: volunteering isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Amuro stood there, a little dazed. Holly leaned over and whispered, "She's different."

Warriors were quickly being assimilated into teams. Holly noticed a team forming around that gray-robed Mud Man, and another team being assembled by a huge man in olive-green power armor. There were only a few contestants left. One of them was a samurai, clad in black and leaning against the wall. Holly nudged Katniss.

"Go see if you can convince him to join us," she whispered.

"Why me? I'm no people person."

"He's probably never seen a fairy before. He'll understand a human girl."

Katniss shuffled over to the man, who appeared to be asleep.

"Um, excuse me," she said feebly.

The man opened his one eye.

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you would like to join our team."

"A poor little team wants a great warrior king to join their sad ranks."

"You didn't have to be so mean about it."

"My apologies. That was a poem- some of the adjectives were necessary."

"What kind of poem doesn't rhyme?"

"A decent one. Now, does your team need help or not?"

"Yes, we do. And maybe I can promise no one will question your taste in poetry, either."

"Then the blade of Date Masamune is on your side."

As Katniss and Date walked back to the rest of the group, she noticed that Holly had also picked up a new member while she was away. The bearded man stood with a look of supreme confidence, as if he was completely sure of how everything in the world worked.

Holly was positively bubbling with excitement.

"Do you know who this is?"

"No. Why would I?"

"He's one of the finest practitioners of martial arts in the world! And not a half bad actor, either!"

"I don't even know if we had martial arts in Panem. I guess the Games kind of count." The thought of those times made her sick, and now there wasn't any comfort that it was all gone. This Grand Combat could be a bloodbath by the time it was done. And that Master of Games did seem to be enjoying it. Who was he anyway? Her head was spinning.

"Whoa, there. Never seen a girl get so sick so fast." The man put his arms out to steady her.

"I… I just don't want to… to…"

"Ssssh, sssh. It's alright. We'll figure a way out of this mess. For now, my name's Mr. Chuck, okay?"

"I mean, come on, Katniss! Chuck… aw, you probably wouldn't know him. Still, is that great or what?" said Holly eagerly.

Katniss merely raised her eyes to meet Holly's. She had seen her fair share of unfair things, but Holly realized she could never grasp the inhumanity Katniss had lived through. Every day, Holly could say that her life was her own. Katniss had never been so lucky.

_I need to learn more. If I'm going to be her friend through this, I need to be able to relate. _Holly considered when it would be a good time for hearing Katniss' life story.

"Sorry. Sensitive subject. I'll try… to be more thoughtful next time." Holly needed to keep her boisterous nature in check. Not all of the warriors were brutes.

The Master of Games cleared his throat.

"Ahem. You are all dismissed to your rooms. In one hour, you will be called into the prep rooms with your team. Happy hunting," He noticed the disheveled Katniss Everdeen. A thought of revenge about being showed up yesterday crossed his mind. He stared directly at her and added one last farewell.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor."

Katniss hadn't touched her breakfast, but it didn't stop her from finding something to wretch all over the cold floor.


	2. Magica et Justi

The Nord sang a little prayer to Mara as he splashed water on his face. _I must look my finest,_ he thought, smiling, _because that mer is stubborn. But what a gift from the Divines! A woman of integrity and honor, and ravishing as well!_

His room was fairly large, consisting of not only a bed and a closet for clothes, but also a mannequin for storing his armor and several small shrines. He moved away from the basin of fresh water in the corner and to a shrine shaped vaguely like a sword planted in the ground.

"Great and mighty Talos," he prayed earnestly, "let my Thu'um be strong, my feet swift, and my sword sharp."

He sat on the bed and waited for the call. It didn't take long.

"Dovahkiin," stated the characterless voice. "You may now exit through your door. It will lead to the prep room with your team."

The Dragonborn rose, and, taking his helmet, he walked through the door. The prep room was incredibly wide, and down its length were various piles and racks of equipment that belonged to the other members of his team, who were also emerging. He put on his horned helm, iron bracers, boots, and tunic. He noticed that there were no weapons, but realized that those must be at the cache that the Master of Games mentioned. It didn't matter, for the Dovahkiin was as well-armed with his voice as he was with any sword. He walked down the wide room toward the mage who requested that he join.

"Aah, yes. The Dragon-Born, if I'm not mistaken," The old man said and puffed on a pipe.

"It is as you say, great mage. You said that you would explain the true purpose of this Grand Combat."

Another of the team members approached. The thin man wore an elaborate white robe with a hood pointed like the mouth of a dragon.

"Sí, Signore Gandalf. You had better make this worth our time and allegiances."

The wizard surveyed the other warriors. The Spartan king Leonidas heeded his call, and the magical and mouse-like Pikachu had found Gandalf trustworthy.

"Now that you're all here, I can explain. It doesn't take much to realize that our presence here is no technological occurrence. Such transport across dimensions and planes of existence is only capable through the highest kind of supernatural power."

The hooded man caught on.

"So, this is all the work… of a god?"

"Correct, Ezio. And not a particularly benevolent one either. Most of our universes have pantheons of some sort. There are all of your basic representative deities; the sky, the sea, the earth, and so on. But a consistency through all of these are taboo and bizarre deities. Corrupt, unearthly, and ancient, these elder gods are not found in most pantheons. They are worshipped by outsiders. Cults, the insane, and the like. Their feuds for power are particularly bitter. We are in the midst of one."

The warriors nodded, and Gandalf continued.

"The Great Old One Cthulhu and his brother, Hastur, have been fighting each other since the day their tendrils sensed the other's presence. Cthulhu, the smarter and weaker of the two managed to just about kill his brother off. Hastur is a being of pure malevolence, so logically the very presence of strife makes him stronger. It is my belief that, with whatever strength he had left, Hastur summoned us here to battle so that we will heal him."

"And how should we respond to this? We cannot avoid combat," the Dovahkiin questioned.

"My best answer is to feel as little hate toward your opponent as possible. It may not help much, but it may be the least we can do." Gandalf said with an air of despair.

The Dovahkiin's thoughts turned at once toward the lovely Miss Short. Surely, that would be one opponent he couldn't bring himself to hate. The doors of the prep room unlocked, and the team filed through onto the most bizarre skyline the Nord had ever seen. The sun was setting behind a mess of massive buildings.

"Is this… a city of the Divines?"

"Perhaps," the wise mage figured.

"What is our plan of battle? We should have made some decision before the sun sets," queried Leonidas, the resident tactician.

Ezio stared at the long road in front of them that led into the heart of the city.

"For now, we walk."


	3. Team Mockingjay

Every step was a nightmare. That little slab of sidewalk, would it give way to a bottomless pit? Could that streetlamp find a clever way to impale her? Katniss couldn't help but thinking of the awful slog through the streets of the Capitol. Every block at the cost of another life, any progress made balanced by bloodshed.

"Katniss, you okay?"

The voice of Amuro snapped her into reality, and narrowly stopped her from running into a stop sign.

"Oh! I… no. No. I'm not okay."

The boy seemed a little off-put by her response.

"Well, I guess you have your reasons. We all do, don't we?"

"Shut up back there," hissed Holly. She was leading the little file of warriors, with the adolescents behind her and Date and Chuck at the rear. They all felt a bit more vulnerable without their favorite weapons. Holly, Amuro, Chuck, and Date had no weapons at all. Katniss had only the knife that had seen her through the Seventy-Fourth Games, and had it in a white- knuckle grip since they had begun travelling. That knife wasn't enough. She had to get a bow. For so long, a bow was sustenance, companionship, protection. It was empowerment in a bleak world. Being in harm's way without one made her feel naked.

"How are we going to find the weapons cache?" Katniss whispered, hoping for simple directions to her bow.

"Do I look like I know any more than you? By Frond," the elf sighed.

"Now keep it down. We don't want to get caught unprepared." Holly brought them to a stop at an intersection. The whole city was empty and silent. She really hoped that there wouldn't be a sudden sound of footsteps that weren't theirs- there wasn't. _Good._ _We're in the clear._

Something hit Holly's head, prompting her to draw her Neutrino- which wasn't there. Date stooped to the ground and picked up the object responsible. It was a wad of paper, weighted with something inside. He opened up the paper and handed the contents to Katniss. _A Mockingjay pin. Our token. Figures. _She threaded it into her jacket.

"Well, we've got our team's token. Those directions?" Holly inquired of the samurai.

"Yes. Unfortunately, it appears to be in a riddle."

"Always a catch, isn't there?"

"'Within knowledge, strength'."

"Knowledge. Like… a library." Mr. Chuck reasoned.

"Well, that's not going to fly. I think I've got books I haven't returned in _months_,_" _said Holly, leaving a pause. No one laughed.

"You're no fun."

The team set off toward the setting sun, keeping an eye out for libraries. They continued until the last few rays of sunlight licked the tallest of the buildings. Still nothing.

"Should we set up camp, or something?" Amuro suggested.

Katniss concurred. "Sounds like a plan to me." The team found what appeared to be a coffee shop and scuttled inside. Chuck began to fire up one of the espresso machines. Holly found an incredibly tacky couch to kick back on, the warrior Masamune picked a wall to lean against, and Amuro and Katniss sat down at a cast-iron table with an intricate design. However, as the team began to expect, the respite was interrupted by the Master of Games' voice.

"Good evening, Contestants! I trust you are all making progress. I just wanted to fill you in on a last-minute rule change."

"You've got to be joking," moaned Katniss, who was in the process of getting some shut-eye.

"I've decided to add a fourth team of five, just to mix things up a bit! Careful, though, as these bad dudes are _really _nasty! And it sure looks like they've already got their weapons and are closing in on one of your teams now! Well, that's all for now. Good luck- you'll need it."

The team members became deathly silent. Cautious glances were cast out the window and around the room. No sign of a new or deadly enemy. Amuro was about to rest his head back down on the table when he noticed the mug Chuck had been sipping espresso from. Three red dots decorated the side.

_Not decorations. It's a laser sight!_ His mind was filled with visions of explosions and energy beams. He leapt up from the table, flung himself over the counter, and knocked Chuck down only an instant before the beam he had seen in his mind ripped through the coffee shop and turned a hot cup of espresso into dust. The team members scampered to their feet and prepared for combat as best they could.

From outside, there was an awful roar accompanied by steady footfalls. Holly saw the source first- a _Tyrannosaurus rex_. It rounded the corner of the street and came to a stop by the shattered window of the shop. Its beady red eyes glared in, taking note of each cowering warrior. Then, to everyone's surprise, it spoke.

"What's this? One of our opposing teams? And they haven't even gotten their weapons yet, how sad! I believe I have more pressing matters to attend to, like securing that wizard's little entourage, yesss."

The little team's fear kept them quiet.

"Shaking in your boots, yesss? You'll have more reason for that soon. Predator! Kill them all."

The ridiculously-colored dinosaur strode off, leaving the team confused.

"Predator- you mean like-" Mr. Chuck was cut off by rapid action on the part of Holly Short. She dashed to the center or the room, wound up, and punched at midair. The little fist connected, and Holly really regretted it. Firstly, it caused the massive creature to decloak and scare the living daylights out of the teenaged team members, and secondly, because it really hurt her hand.

The dreadlocked alien swatted the petite elf aside, sending her crashing through displays of fine South American coffees. Date and Chuck gave each other a nod and moved to flank the beast, but it moved with horrifying speed toward the samurai. Within moments, the masked creature had pinned Date to the ground. It raised an arm as if to punch him, only to flick out a pair of deadly-looking blades. It cackled with delight.

Mr. Chuck would not let that last, as he delivered a karate strike that would have killed a human onto the creature's broad, exposed back. It wailed awfully and rolled along the ground, getting up to face the martial artist. The plasma caster on its shoulder popped up and began to whine. Three red dots centered on his chest.

The next few moments seemed to play out like an orchestra's big fourth-movement high point. Chaotic shouts from the team to duck were followed by the sound of breaking glass and rapid, heavy footfalls. Chuck swung his legs out from underneath him as a wall of sage-green metal soared overhead at fifty miles per hour. The massive power-armored man tackled the Predator with such force that they sailed into the building across the street. There was a brief calm as the battered team attempted to figure out what just happened. For an instant, no one knew how to react. But something inside Katniss clicked into place. Her scattered, meandering thoughts assembled themselves into a single, clear message. _SURVIVE. _

"WE NEED TO MOVE, NOW! GO GO GO GO GO!" she barked, taking herself by surprise. She was already sprinting out the door and onto the street in the direction of the tackled Predator. She hung a left and kept running full tilt down the street and toward the nearest intersection. Craning her neck back revealed that the others were following her lead. _Good_, she thought. _Sticking together. Strength in numbers._ She was all the way to the intersection before she noticed their amazing luck: the building on the corner was clearly marked

**CENTRAL LIBRARY**

She gave what she hoped was a coherent command for _let's go in there_, but she realized it was probably just senseless arm-flailing. Upon approaching the door, she saw that this was no ordinary library. The doors were of the heavy, armored strong-bolt type that was generally used to keep her from a place she would rather be. With a hard yank, she pulled the door open, let the team sprint inside, swung herself in and shut it tight. Presently she could hear nothing but her own heart racing. She caught her breath and looked around.

The doors weren't the only special thing about this library. There were, in fact, no books in it at all. There were a few racks of weapons close behind the door, but the room was mostly empty, with the exception of some large struts at the far end that seemed to be some sort of lift system. The fluorescent lighting flickered a little across the bare concrete floor.

"Way to take some initiative there, Katniss!" Holly patted the dazed girl on the back.

"Tell you what," the elf continued while holstering a Neutrino blaster, "we need a team name. I figure since we all owe you, at least a little,"

She clipped a utility belt into place.

"You can pick out something catchy."

"Does it matter if it's original?"

"I don't think the computers are grading that."

"Well… they already gave us a Mockingjay pin as our token."

"So," affirmed Holly as she clasped the strap of a helmet under her chin, "Team Mockingjay it is! Whatever that means."

"Is everything going to be bird-themed with her?" called Amuro, who was standing by an elevator on the far left side of the building.

"'Cause if it is, I'm going to be sorely disappointed."

He tapped the only button there and slid through the doors. The elevator whirred loudly as it descended.

"Where's he headed?" questioned Chuck as he adjusted the sight on an automatic handgun.

"He said he was a pilot," mentioned Katniss. "Maybe the plane's downstairs. I think he said it had a name, something odd."

A whirring much louder than the elevator stopped the conversation as the floor past the weapon racks slid open. The huge lift rose, supporting what appeared to be a giant warrior clad in white metal.

"It's called a mobile suit," confirmed Amuro over the machine's loudspeaker. "And this one's code-named _Gundam._"

"Wait- you're in that thing?" cried Katniss in disbelief.

"I said I was a pilot. Guess none of you guys' universes had anything remotely like a mobile suit."

Team Mockingjay took some time to mutter in disbelief.

"Is it fast?" questioned Holly.

"Yes. I've piloted faster, but in its day, the Gundam was untouchable."

Katniss had been fiddling with her bow, which she was pleased to find was her old one from District 12. She strung an arrow and let it fly toward the mechanical monstrosity. Date and Holly jumped a little at the sudden response, then moved out of the way as the girl strode over to where the arrow had hit. It had bounced off the machine's lower leg.

"Didn't even scratch the paint- what this thing made of, anyway?"

"Lunar titanium. Finest light armor of the One-Year War!"

_Gods,_ thought Holly. _The Mud Men mined the bloody moon! There would be demon riots if that happened in my universe. _

"Well," said Date, sliding a katana into its sheath. "We're ready to move out."

Katniss shook her head. "This place's indestructible. We hole up here for the night."

Date was prepared to argue about the chain of command, but how tired he was caught up to him.

"Fine then, archer-girl. Wake me in an hour so I can take my shift on guard," he muttered while finding a good spot on the wall to lean against. The other team members tucked in around the feet of the Gundam, which provided a decent sloping surface to lie on. Katniss strung an arrow and began the long wait for her shift to be over.


	4. Azure Knight

Morning light broke through the thin windows near the roof of the not-library. Mr. Chuck quietly rose from the large robot foot and stretched. He shuffled to the weapons rack and crammed a magazine into the automatic pistol, glancing back at his sleeping team. The little elf was the only one still at the feet of the machine. The pilot boy had slept inside the huge thing, the samurai had gone back to leaning against the wall once his shift was over, and the girl with the bow had tied herself to a crook in the Mobile Suit's arm and slept up there. Holly was right- not all was well in that girl's head. The man placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. While Katniss woke with a start and began shouting about someone named Rue, the others woke peacefully enough and began to complain about how bad of an idea it was to sleep on a robot.

"Rise and shine, Team Mockingjay."

Amuro rubbed his eyes and gently moved his controls down, lowering the arms of the Gundam and allowing Katniss to scurry into a corner and have a panic attack.

"Morning, Mr. Chuck. What's the plan?"

"I figure we head on out. We were lucky the other teams didn't find us last night."

"He's right," confirmed Katniss, evidently returning to reality. "A moving target is more difficult to hit."

"When you put it that way, I feel really confident about our strategy," grunted Holly sarcastically.

Katniss brushed off the retort and crammed the rope she tied herself down with into her pack. There were a few arrows left on the rack, and they found their place in her quiver soon after. She walked over to the door where the rest of the team was assembling and took a position just to the entry's right. Chuck stood with his back to the door and his pistol at the ready. He gave a nod to Katniss and one to Holly and Date, who stood on the opposite side.

"On three- One…two…three!"

Holly pulled the handle and Chuck swung out the door with the gun ahead of him. For a moment, silence caught the breath of the team.

"All clear," Mr. Chuck called as he pulled the door open for the others. When they had all gathered outside the door, a thought occurred to Date.

"What about Amuro?"

The team's collective facepalm was interrupted by the walls of the not-library sliding into the ground, leaving in place of the building a bare slab of concrete and a Mobile Suit. Amuro pulled up on the controls and made the Gundam stand to its full height, dwarfing the team and a few of the shorter buildings.

"All systems are running smoothly," chimed Amuro through the loudspeaker. "Where to now?"

Holly gave a glance toward the region of the city dominated by high-rises. Fire crowned many of the skyscrapers, and smoke formed a great black sheet over the smaller buildings of the area.

"I'd say that would be our best bet."

Team Mockingjay began a slow journey down the major road of the empty city, drawing ever closer to the urban inferno ahead. Amuro stomped the Mobile Suit down the street behind them, keeping close tabs on his displays to check for any of the other teams. He spotted some movement in the smoke that swirled around the skyscrapers high ahead. Little bursts of light flickered within the shroud.

"Are you guys seeing that?"

Katniss squinted at the strange display of light.

"Yes. What do you think it is?"

"I'd say they were some form of booster or engine firing off. There's some sort of Mobile weapon being used by another team- that's my guess."

Holly frowned.

"Okay, Amuro- here's the plan. If you stick with us, we'll be as obvious as a swear toad bite. You're an expert on Mobile suits, so why don't you head in and check it out? If you get overwhelmed, fall back with us and we'll back you up as best we can."

The Mobile Suit mimicked Amuro's nod. "Sounds like a plan." The giant machine took off running down the street, towards the burning buildings. Holly was pretty sure this was a strategic decision, until a voice from a nearby rooftop told her otherwise.

"How foolish- send away the strong, and let the weak fend for themselves?"

Katniss identified the speaker and strung an arrow. Holly held up her hand and mouthed _NO._ The source of the tactical criticism was a suit of blue armor on top of a specialty shop. The helm had a nasty looking horn protruding from it, and long red hair escaped out of the headgear's back. A truly massive sword was slung over its shoulder.

"And who exactly are you?" Katniss still trained her bow on the blue knight.

"I am sometimes called the Azure Knight, or He that Wields Soul Edge," the creature boasted. "But to you, I am your worst Nightmare." In the blink of an eye, the being had landed on the ground, shattering the pavement.

"NOW PROCEED INTO DARKNESS!" It wailed, swinging its sword in wide arcs above its head. Katniss let the arrow take flight, only for it to ricochet off the creature's thick armor and clatter onto the street. A pulse of red energy knocked the whole of Team Mockingjay off of their feet.

Holly looked up at the gray sky. She attempted to regain her footing, but the blast had removed all feeling from her legs and arms. The creature that called itself Nightmare stomped over to where she lay.

"Foolish little fairy," it hissed, swinging the oversized blade. Holly managed to twist her torso and dodge the sharpened wall of metal. For a second, as it was lodged in the street next to her, she got a decent glimpse at it. The metal was old and tarnished, but more prominently seemed to have a web of pulsing flesh covering parts of it. _I'm making a point to be impaled by something other than that._ She at least wanted to die by the hand of something clean.

As the demon was readying for another chop, his sword has held still. He turned to see Date Masamune's katana pressed against Soul Edge.

"Not… so… fast!" grunted the samurai.

Nightmare used his oversized sword arm to knock Date to the ground. He held the fleshy bit of his sword over the black-clad warrior's face. A lump in the flesh split open to reveal an awful eye.

"GAZE INTO TRUE MADNESS!" screamed the Azure Knight, and he lifted the samurai into the air. Nightmare was beginning to pull his sword arm back to strike, when he was interrupted by gunshots. Holly and Chuck had gotten up and drawn their firearms. Though Chuck's human pistol rounds merely bounced off the cursed armor, the Neutrino's stunning shots seemed to have an effect.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" cried the demon, who dropped Date and turned to face his new attackers. Holly turned the intensity setting on the Neutrino to level five and fired again. The cursed knight fell to his knees.

"Stop! S-Stop! Your souls are mine! I swear it!" Chuck didn't pay heed to Nightmare's empty threats and used his foot to force him to the ground.

"Now, let's get some answers," he grunted. "Who else is on your team?"

"The Predator and his unearthly hound. There was a great armored giant by the name of Nineball," whimpered the knight.

"That's only three. Two more names," said Chuck, leveling his handgun on the blue helmet.

"The lizard! He called himself Megatron! And myself!" The demon looked around anxiously. "Now let me go!"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Chuck shifted his other foot to the knight's inhuman sword arm. He turned and nodded at Katniss.

Chuck looked back at the once- terrifying creature. "Where's your team's token?"

"My sword, Soul Edge," gasped the knight.

Katniss stood over the sword.

"Thanks," she said, and fired an arrow directly into the blade's eye.

With a horrible shriek, the knight stopped struggling. The numbing red energies shot out of the sword in a blinding flash, revealing a sword with no eye or flesh- only an arrow lodged in the center. Katniss plucked out the arrow and slid it into her quiver. Date picked up the sword and slid it into a strap on his back.

"That's two out of five on that team incapacitated. Plus we have their token," Holly noted. "We ought to keep on heading toward the fires. After all, what was that Katniss said about getting hit?"

Holly smirked at the human girl, who didn't seem nearly as amused. Team Mockingjay continued down the road. _The Dovahkiin didn't underestimate their combat prowess,_ Ezio thought from his far-more stealthy rooftop perch. He had watched the entire battle unfold. He stood and took off along the dull, black roofs. He had interesting news to report to Signore Gandalf.


	5. Mecha Mash

Amuro cursed under his breath as he eased back on the controls, attempting to slow his backward slide. This did not solve the problem quickly enough, as he hit the building behind him with a jolt that rattled the movement-stabilized cockpit. _How could that thing move the way it does?_

His target had once again slipped away into the smoke. It would repeatedly pop back out to throw some harassing fire his way, only to disappear again. Amuro was pretty sure this meant that it was engaging another contestant as well, adding another dimension to the already-difficult fight. Fighting two targets at once was not an option.

_Should I fall back? No, _the Newtype thought. _I would lead this thing right back to the team, and if I can't beat it in a MS, they certainly couldn't help. I'll keep it distracted here. _He glanced down at his radar display and saw the little dot skipping back and forth, closer and closer. _Here it comes again!_

He turned in the direction of the approaching foe and drew his shield. He then knelt, holding the massive metal wall ahead of him and readying his sword arm. The assailant emerged from the smoke- a blur of red and black steel. It rammed Amuro's shield for the second time, forcing the Mobile suit into the building again. Amuro pulled his beam saber from its storage on the Gundam's back and sliced downward, only to connect with his foe's own energy blade. Purple energies crackled from both of the non-physical swords.

"_SCANNING TARGET," _grated the computerized voice. "_AC NOT RECOGNIZED."_

Amuro's eyes flitted back and forth on his cockpit displays, looking for some weakness to exploit. There was a pod of missiles behind the right shoulder. _If I can land a lucky hit on those,_ _this thing will go up like a colony oxygen leak. _He shoved forward on the controls, knocking the crimson robot back. Amuro sheathed the Gundam's sword and removed the beam rifle from the slot it had been stored in on the Mobile Suit's back.

"Hey, you!" Amuro called. The robot raised its pulse rifle and took aim.

"Sure. You can shoot me all you like," Amuro gritted his teeth. _Here we go._ The robot fired, and Amuro's world slowed to a crawl. He strained back on the controls, and the Gundam responded with the lightning speed it was famous for. All three of the red mech's shots sailed across Amuro's high-definition displays. He pulled back on the controls again, now bringing the Gundam's back to face the assailant. He now kept focused on the rear-view camera's screen.

The mysterious foe was not stunned by this display of reflex and dexterity, and extended its purple energy sword. Its boosters flared to full power, sending the mech hurtling toward the Gundam's turned back. _Perfect, _thought the Newtype. Amuro tapped a joystick's button, and the Mobile Suit jumped skyward. As quickly as he went up, he dropped down- now the crimson mech's back squarely in his sights. He raised his beam rifle and fired.

The missile pod erupted with unparalleled force, knocking its owner to the ground.

"_CORE DAMAGE CRITICAL. ASSESSING SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY."_

Despite the flames pouring from the robot's back, it rose to its feet. It turned toward the Gundam again.

"Why won't you just stay down?" groaned Amuro, who fired two more shots into the burning machine. Molten metal poured off of its broken frame. The weapon over its right shoulder lowered.

"_TARGET VERIFIED. COMMENCING HOSTILITIES."_

The weapon fired, the shot sailing far above the Gundam's head. _I must have damaged its targeting abilities, _thought Amuro, until he heard the report of the shot finding its mark just behind him. Amuro lowered his eyes to the rear-view camera's screen. Something huge stood just a few meters away. He turned the Gundam and had to tilt the head as far up as it would go to see the top of the behemoth. It was the largest Mobile weapon Amuro had ever seen.

With one stride, it stepped over the Gundam and crushed the red mech underfoot. It was easily twice as tall as the Mobile Suit, perhaps more. Its narrow head was dominated by beady yellow eyes and a massive horn. It looked down at the insignificant-by-comparison Gundam.

"Hello, again, Amuro!"

_That voice! From yesterday!_ The Newtype remembered.

"Shinji, is it?"

"Yeah, you remembered!"

"So that's your Mobile weapon, huh?"

"Yes- Evangelion Unit One."

"Impressive," said Amuro, hoping that he could talk his way out of this fight.

"Mother, this is Amuro. I met him yesterday."

"Wait, who are you talking to? Your mother? Is she in there with you?"

"In a way."

Amuro was trying to wrap his head around this when the gargantuan machine lifted an arm to one of its comically tall shoulders. A knife slid out of the shoulder and into its hand, where it began to glow brightly.

"Now, come on, Amuro! Let's do this!"

Amuro put away the Mobile Suit's rifle and brought out its shield. _This is going to be even more annoying, isn't it?_


	6. Dueling Voices

"I honestly don't think that they have a lot of planning going on," suggested Holly. "They tried to attack us with solo members, not as a group."

Chuck considered this. "They don't seem like decent people. A whole team of nasties could have some problems with order-following."

"Perhaps they all thought they were powerful enough on their own." The black-armored samurai concluded.

"Either way, they don't have judgment on their side," said Katniss. "They're not going to be as much trouble as a coherent team."

As an example of such a coherent team, Team Mockingjay was still mostly together and travelling down the main road. The burning buildings they had sent Amuro towards were only about fifteen blocks ahead of them now. The little team stopped at the nearest intersection to survey their location. Holly peered her head around the corner and pulled it back quickly.

"Uh, guys?"

"What now?" queried Date.

"There's a coherent team right there."

Katniss drew her bow and Chuck loaded another magazine. The team collectively snuck a peek around the corner. Among their number was the Dovahkiin- and the grey-robed man who had recruited him.

"What's this?" called the mage.

"D'Arvit! They've seen us." hissed Holly, readying her Neutrino blaster. She motioned with her hand, and Team Mockingjay filed into the street, weapons primed. Each picked a potential target, but as there were five foes and only four in their number, Katniss had to focus on two- a hooded man and a mouse-like creature.

"Well, Guardslady Short. We meet again," said the Dovahkiin matter-of-factly.

"What do you want to do, flirt me to death?" Holly sneered.

"It's not very polite to insult a suitor."

"Be quiet, all of you!" The wizard yelled, hitting the ground with his staff.

Once everyone's bickering stopped, he continued.

"Now, I can assure you that none of us here really _want_ to fight. We can work out an orderly way of doing things, just give us some time."

"I have an idea." The Dragonborn said.

"What did you have in mind, Signore Dovahkiin?" The hooded man turned to the helmed Nord.

"A duel. My team's honor against yours. I will engage one of you in combat."

Holly looked at the other members of her team and gave a nod.

"I'll do it."

"Well, I expected as much. You wish to test me, and see if I am all that I say."

_Gods, this guy's insufferable. _Holly couldn't wait to show up the smug warrior. Perhaps then he would reconsider his advances.

The mage was concerned. "Are you sure, Dovahkiin? Our team's victory is at stake."

The Nord mouthed to the wizard, _LESS FIGHTING. _The old man nodded.

Chuck advised the warriors, "Let's give them some space." Both of the teams pulled back to the edges of the block. Only Holly and the Dragonborn stood face-to-face in the street. The warrior of the icy north grinned.

"Don't just _do_ that. That's creepy," said the elf.

"Less chat. We must fight!"

He drew his sword and raised his shield. Holly lifted her Neutrino and pointed it at his barrel-like chest. "Bet you've never fought someone who had a gun before."

"Do you really think your advanced weapons can intimidate me? That's cute. I like it."

"Shut _up,_" growled Holly, firing at the warrior. He stumbled a little, but did not fall.

"Impressive. Now you have demonstrated your weapon, allow me to use mine."

Surprisingly, the Nord did not swing his sword. He instead planted himself and spoke. His soft voice became unnaturally harsh, and as he said the strange words, there was a sound of a thunderclap.

"_FUS RO DAH!"_

Holly was knocked off her feet and sailed backwards down the road. She hit the ground and rolled, looking up to see her team members. _His voice pushed me to the end of the block. What kind of magic is this?_

Holly stood and shielded, becoming invisible to all but the most trained eye. She shuffled left, to avoid the path of the warrior's enchanted shouts.

"I see you have some tricks of your own, cunning little mer. Are you unimpressed by the Thu'um?"

The warrior looked left and right, clearly not as unfazed as he wanted to appear. He then spoke again.

"_LAAS YAH NIR!"_

Holly was prepared to fall again, but the warrior's voice did not seem to affect her. She did notice, however, that he was now looking directly at her.

_He can see me? This guy's got some kind of spell for everything!_ _I wonder if- _Holly's wandering thoughts were interrupted by the Nord bashing her into the ground with his shield. She felt her left shoulder break as she fell, and quickly began to focus her magic on healing the fractures. She un-shielded.

"D'Arvit, that smarts!" grunted Holly while raising her Neutrino at the warrior. She fired three times, causing the Dragonborn to fall backwards. Holly managed to stagger to her feet.

"Come on, Dovahkiin! Is that the best you've got?"

"Not even close," said the stunned Nord. "_YOL TOOR SHUL!"_

A gout of flame ripped out of his throat, scalding the elf's skin and burning her hair. Her magic was now working on healing too much at once- any more, and her healing abilities would be stretched too thin. She reeled back, turned, and ran, putting distance between her and the warrior. It didn't get her far- the Dovahkiin spoke again.

"_WULD NA KEST!"_

Suddenly, he was in front of her. Holly was exhausted. She was hurt all over and clearly couldn't keep up with the Nord even when she wasn't so drained. She knew that she didn't have much magic left. Holly stopped in her tracks, dazed. The Dovahkiin knelt and looked at her eye-to-eye.

"Care to do me a favor and surrender?" he said.

She returned his gaze. "Care to do _me_ a favor?" she repeated.

The Dovahkiin looked into those beautiful eyes. Two different colors! So pretty! He really could just sit there and stare at them all day.

"Sure," the brute obliged. Holly smiled softly. The _Mesmer_ was working.

"Listen, you sweet little Dragonborn," she continued in a voice dripping with flattery. "I need you to get me your team's token."

The warrior grinned bigger than ever. "I have it, right _here!_" he pulled a golden amulet from around his neck. It was shaped like a sword pointed downwards. Holly reached up and took it.

"Thanks _so_ _much._ Now, can you do just one last _teensy-weensy _thing for a pretty girl like me?"

"Of course, milady!"

"Can you _pretty, pretty please_ lie down and go to sleep?"

"That would be," he yawned and rested his head on the ground, "easy."

Holly stumbled backwards and fell into a sitting position. Members of both teams rushed back into the street.

"Is that cheating?" questioned Leonidas.

"No," said Gandalf with authority. He turned to team Mockingjay. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll stand down from here on out."

Katniss helped Holly to her feet. "Make sure he gets his beauty sleep," the elf called back weakly. The team was back on their way towards the downtown area.

"Good work, Holly," Katniss whispered. "That's one down, two to go."


	7. Cruel Amuro's Thesis

They had only passed another five blocks when they heard the thudding of a particular Mobile Suit's footfalls. The Gundam barreled out from behind a row of low buildings, skidding to a halt in a dramatic fashion.

"Guys! I'm going to need backup!" called Amuro, making the Gundam give a quick look back. Holly detected another set of footfalls, much louder than the Mobile Suit's.

"What did you just run away from?"

The steady beat began to reverberate in Team Mockingjay's chests.

"That kid from yesterday, Shinji- he's a pilot too. But that thing-"

The subject of the discussion sliced through the smoke only a few blocks away. The massive purple mech blotted out the sun. As it walked, its lanky arms and legs swayed back and forth unnaturally. It lowered its horned head and glared at them, its body heaving steadily as if it was breathing. It halted its steady gait.

"So, Amuro. This is your team," observed the young boy from the terrifying machine.

The Newtype turned and faced the mechanical beast.

"Yes. We've been doing well so far."

"That's good. Who have you fought so far?"

Date picked up on what was going on.

"It's a distraction," he whispered to his teammates. "While they're talking, we need to get to higher ground."

As Team Mockingjay scampered across the street to an apartment building, Amuro recounted their experiences.

"Well, mostly that fourth team. That big guy in the green armor saved us from the Predator."

"That's my team leader, John-117. The Chief."

The foot-mobile members of the team had now ascended to the roof of the apartment building. They were now just across from the larger of the two machines.

"What now?" questioned Katniss.

"We wait for an opportunity," Chuck explained.

"And then whatever that red thing I was fighting earlier was. You did a good job taking care of that." Amuro continued.

"Thanks. I really try," said Shinji sincerely.

The larger purple mech tightened its grip on the knife.

"As much as I like talking to you, we are going to have to fight," the boy sighed.

As the gargantuan machine shifted into a fighting stance, it lifted its right arm to stabilize its posture. The hand's shadow blotted out the sun for the rooftop members of Team Mockingjay. Holly gazed up at the massive manipulator.

"_NOW!" _she cried, and the team let loose a barrage of deadly firepower. Chuck emptied a magazine from his automatic pistol, Holly squeezed off a few fully-charged rounds from her Neutrino, and Katniss stuck a single arrow in the palm of the massive hand. The monstrous robot pulled its hand away quickly, dropping its knife to cradle its wounded extremity.

"That hurt," moaned Shinji. He turned to look at Amuro's Gundam, only to see the white Mobile Suit crashing into him at top speed. After colliding, the Newtype pilot forced the white robot back, allowing his foe to tumble to the ground. When the huge machine hit the ground, the empty streets split down the middle. The apartment building was one of the many nearby to begin to collapse with the force of the impact. Amuro swung the Gundam's arm over in time to collect its rooftop residents and pull them away from a concrete-y grave.

"Now, stay down!" Amuro grunted, lifting the rifle arm of the Mobile Suit. He fired shot after shot into the thick cloud of dust. He looked up and saw the burning high-rise nearby, aimed, and fired more at its bottom floors. The structure began to keel sideways, crumbling into the veil of debris that shrouded his opponent. A wall of air, crumbled concrete, and shattered glass blew past the team members clinging to the Gundam's arm.

Chuck wiped a thick layer of dust off of his eyes. "Let's call it a day."

The Gundam hung a right to avoid walking over the Evangelion, which he suspected was not quite disabled. They were now in the heart of the blazing downtown area. The thick smoke was mostly high above their heads, with only a few buildings at ground level on fire.

"What do you think caused all of this?" said Katniss, gazing upward in awe.

"Mobile weapons, like mine and the one we just fought," answered Amuro. "There was another one too- Shinji destroyed it earlier. It only takes a few Mobile Suits to cause a lot of damage."


	8. Down with the King's League

The Gundam continued onward through the smoke darkened streets. Their foes had grown fewer in number, and now Team Mockingjay experienced that terrible anxiety you feel when you know that someone's in a dark room with you, but you don't know who or where. As they sat cradled in the palm of the Mobile suit, they found ways to keep their mind off of the creeping paranoia. Date examined the size and weight of Soul Edge. Holly fiddled with the settings on her helmet, and Katniss curled into a ball and whispered lullabies. The elf reached out with her leg and poked her.

"Can't you find something productive to do?"

"Like?"

"Count your arrows, or something."

The girl didn't move.

"Four arrows. Four lives wasted."

Holly realized that this was one of Katniss' moments, and she would have to tread more lightly. She was switching the settings on her helmet's heads-up display again when a lightbulb went off.

"Why don't you help me figure out what's wrong with my helmet?"

Katniss crawled steadily over the constantly jolting hand.

"What's the matter with it?"

"Well, it's got a motion tracker built in, and it keeps showing movement in the buildings parallel to us. It's a focus issue, I don't think it's adjusted to us being in the Gundam's hand."

Chuck looked down at the two smallest members of the team. "Wait, did you say move-"

He was cut off by a huge blur streaking across the hand. Even the level-headed Date Masamune managed to scream when he realized that something had jumped over and taken the girl.

Katniss found herself careening through the air towards the dark ground. She attempted to scream, but she couldn't. It felt as though a steel girder had wrapped its way around her, but she could look down and see the terrifying tail that was tightly wound over her helpless body. She followed its length to its end, where she noticed a curved, bladelike tip. She was being tossed about from side to side rapidly, and she heard a subtle scuttling noise as the creature's claws found what should have been physically impossible grips on the sides of buildings. It scurried over a bank and dove into an abandoned warehouse- filled with a too-perfect darkness. The tail loosened its grip and slid away, accompanied by an awful hiss. Katniss heard the faint scuttling again. _It's leaving._

A spotlight at the far end of the warehouse came on, revealing the creature only inches from Katniss' face. The sleek, elongated head opened into a mess of too many teeth and mouths. Its thin arms and legs were strong enough to pin her to the floor with ease. It let out an awful shriek.

"That's enough, xenomorph," called a much more tolerable voice. The wretched creature slithered off the helpless girl and scuttled into the darkness again. The giant purple lizard from the first night sauntered into view. Its beady red eyes glared down at Katniss, but its fear factor was nearly outweighed by the hilarity of it speaking.

"Please forgive my colleague's… manners. He is not very personable, nooo."

"Y-You! The creature in the armor said your name… what is it…M-something…"

"That squeal Nightmare! What an idiot- well, I guess the cat's out of the bag."

Katniss pulled her knees up to her chin. Nowhere was safe with that scuttling mutt, and the way this thing spoke was _completely_ out of place.

"I," stated the purple monster dramatically, "am Megatron."

She felt some courage well up inside her. What would Holly do at a time like this?

"That's a pretty silly name for a big lizard mutt."

The monster did not take insults well, and began to fume angrily.

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE URCHIN! I AM A MASTERPIECE OF CYBERTRONIAN ENGINEERING! MY EVERY FACET IS DEDICATED TO PERFECTION!"

It caught itself for a moment, then stated clearly, "Terrorize."

As Katniss watched in terror as what appeared to be the skin of the creature lifted away to reveal chunks of metal. She needed to run away, but she was stuck in the spotlight's illumination- that far more awful thing could be anywhere in the dark. The speaking lizard seemed to have stopped changing. It now resembled a metal man with pieces of monster hanging off. It spoke again, but any sense of comedy was gone as the words now came out of a much more believable mouth.

"Now do you see? This is the most prevalent feature of Cybertronians," he gestured with a large metal hand to the rest of his body. "We are robots in disguise."

Katniss nodded, hoping that the lecture was over and that she could leave. It wasn't, as Megatron took a few strides to close in on the girl. He placed one of his large feet, which still retained the talons from his monstrous alternate mode, on her chest. Katniss struggled for breath.

"Now, what I brought you here for," he oiled, applying more weight to his foot.

"Our team has not fared so well over the last two days. Perhaps due to a LACK," he emphasized, forcing his foot down more with each word. "OF, PLANNING. And we need to GET, A, TOKEN, yesss."

"You…think…I…have…it?" wheezed the girl.

"SILENCE, YOU MISERABLE SCUM!" He erupted, then calmed again.

"Your team calls itself 'Mockingjay.' Little nickname of yours, yesss?"

"How… do… you… know… about… that?"

"I have sources with information."

Katniss remembered them being dismissed for the challenge. She remembered that awful phrase- _may the odds be ever in your favor._

"The… Master… of… Games..!"

"He knows his stuff, doesn't he? Yesss. He also bade me deliver this message- no funny business. No tricks. He doesn't want you screwing this up, like you apparently did in your world," oozed Megatron, lowering an oversized blade made from the tail of his lizard mode. The tip rested just next to Katniss' jugular vein.

"I _do_ wonder what you did, little girl. Had to be something pretty astounding, yesss. Now, where's that token of yours?"

He began to run his large and clumsy fingers through her backpack. He found nothing, and was moving on to the quiver when he heard her wheeze something.

"I'm sorry, dear. Were you just giving me a hint to the location of that token?"

"I… wouldn't… play…"

"You're going to have to speak up. I can't hear you clearly."

"I… wouldn't… play… their… GAME!" With what strength she had left, she shoved her knife, which she had removed during their discussion, deep into the robot's foot. He wheeled backwards in pain.

"Grrraaaaaar!" Megatron stumbled onto his back and attempted to pull the knife out, but found his fingers to be slightly too large. "NOOO! GET IT OUT!"

Katniss had just managed to stand up when she heard the terrible hissing of the scuttling creature. She turned to see the beast stalk out of the shadows, its tail poised to lash out and impale her. She was bracing for death when gunshots distracted her- Chuck had forced open a door on the near side of the warehouse, allowing Team Mockingjay to pour in. One of the bullets connected, and foul green liquid began to seep out of the creature's side. It shrieked and turned to face the new foes.

Katniss used its moment of distraction to remove her bow from the strap that had connected it to her pack- a wise decision she had made in the hand of the Gundam. Within seconds, she was pulling back an arrow. Chuck was reloading his gun and Date was drawing his sword, while Holly continued to fire her Neutrino, which had no effect on the beast. _Now or never,_ thought Katniss.

The arrow lodged itself just underneath the back of the terrible creature's head, and travelled through its awful neck. It raised its wire-thin arms to the wound, as smoke began to rise from its green blood as it seared away the creature little by little. It collapsed in a puddle of the acid collecting on the floor and began to dissolve entirely.

The team rushed across the warehouse to where Megatron still rolled on the floor in agony. He occasionally reached down to attempt to pull the knife out in vain, but mostly thrashed his large arms about like a screaming child.

Holly adjusted her Neutrino's setting to _Burnt to a Cinder_ and fired at the wailing robot. Sparks shot up from his joints, and he briefly thrashed only more violently. Then, quite suddenly, he fell silent. Katniss walked to the Cybertronian's foot and pulled out her knife.

"Are you okay?" asked the elf, rushing over to the girl.

"Yes. They just roughed me up a bit."

"We ought to move out of here," Date advised. "I don't want to stick around near these two."

The other team members complied, leaving the way they entered. Outside of the door, they found Amuro in the Gundam.

"Looks like you guys did alright."

"We sure did," confirmed Chuck. "That's two whole teams down. Only one left."

"You got that right," called a gravelly voice from behind Amuro. The team turned to find themselves face-to face with the final team. The man in the green armor was joined by a squat, plump man in overalls, a taller, more muscular man in a torn denim jacket, and a boy Katniss recognized as Harry from their first day in the Grand Combat.

Chuck raised his pistol and pointed it at the armored man, who discouraged him. "Don't bother, you're out of ammo."

Upon sliding out the magazine, the martial artist confirmed that it was true.

Masamune was as indignant as ever. "What do you want us to do, surrender?"

"Quite the opposite," said the jacketed man. "We've had our fair share of fighting."

"We knew you guys were a-fighting pretty good," squeaked the short, fat man in an incredibly irritating accent. "You deserve-a win!"

"Are you serious?" questioned Holly, who suspected a trap.

"Completely," said Harry. He reached into his wide sleeves and pulled out a red-and-white mushroom. He tossed it to Katniss. _This has to be their token,_ she thought.

"I may be a soldier, but even I can get tired of fighting," confirmed the man Shinji had called Chief. "I figured you guys helped us out by taking out the Master's men."

"Yes. We would- we're tired, too. Thank you." Chuck gave a nod of approval and dropped his weapon.

Far above them, GLaDOS' sardonic voice echoed.

"Well done, you pathetic sacks of meat. You completed the challenge."

"Personally, I think their performance was exemplary," droned HAL.

"My greatest commendations to 'Team Mockingjay" for acquiring all tokens with minimal conflict!" continued Deep Thought. "They have won this competition!"

As the computers' address finished, Katniss felt the ground underneath her give way. She looked and saw the other contestants sinking, too. They dropped slowly into complete darkness. When she opened her eyes, she was in her cold, grey room. She was going to attempt to get some sleep when there was a knock on the door.

"Katniss?"

She rose and opened the door, and Holly Short slipped in.

"Listen. If we're going to stick together through this, I need to know your story-all of it."

Katniss turned her eyes downward.

"It's… not very fun to tell."

"Don't worry. I want to help you. I can't understand what you've been through," the elf put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Unless you tell me."

Katniss sat down on her bed. "Where do I begin? I lived in District 12, which we were told was the smallest of the lot. We provided coal…"

Holly nodded attentively and took Katniss' words to heart. _I will get her through this. No matter what._


	9. Epilogue- Hastur's Lament

The Master of Games pressed himself up against the wall. _Did that blasted elf see me?_ He looked up and down the hall, and when he was sure the coast was clear, he darted to the unmarked door at the end of the hallway. He whipped it open, swept himself inside, and eased it shut. He waited, and the deep darkness surrounding him spoke.

"**IT TAKES QUITE A BIT OF NERVE TO BRING ME HERE, BROTHER."**

"Nice to see you, too."

"**DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN KEEP THIS RUSE UP?"**

The yellow-robed man cursed and shouted back at the nothing that surrounded him.

"Of course I can! I am infinitely more powerful than you!"

"**AND YOU ARE INFINITELY MORE OF AN IDIOT. YOUR POWER DID NOT STOP ME FROM SLAYING YOU. WHY DO YOU THINK IT WILL SAVE YOU NOW?"**

"These…warriors… are mindless insects! I could keep them here for eons!"

"**YOU HAVE SPENT TOO LONG DRIFTING HALF-DEAD IN THE COSMOS, HASTUR. I SPENT MY EXILE LIVING ON A PLANET INFESTED WITH THESE CREATURES. INSECTS? YES. MINDLESS? NOT QUITE."**

"What do you mean?"

"**THEY CANNOT COME CLOSE TO UNDERSTANDING US. BUT THEY HAVE MORALS,"** the voice paused. **"AND THAT IS SOMETHING NO AMOUNT OF POWER CAN FULLY REMOVE."**

"I have them under my thumb! They are animals, ready for the slaughter!"

"**NO. YOU CAN BREAK THEM. YOU CAN BEAT THEM. BUT THEY CLING TO THINGS LIKE LOVE AND HOPE. NO POWER CAN SMITE THESE IDEALS."**

"You're starting to sound like one of _them_, Cthulhu. Do you forget who we are? We are _Great Old Ones! _Masters of the cosmos!"

"**YOU CAN CLING TO YOUR TITLE, HASTUR. YOU ARE TOO BLIND TO SEE ANYTHING ELSE. WE ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT THAN THOSE YOU SEEK TO CRUSH."**

"I've had enough of you," the Master said, turning for the door.

"**VERY WELL THEN. YOU CAN THINK THAT THIS TIME, YOU WILL WIN. AND YOU WILL BE SORELY MISTAKEN."**

The Master of Games opened the door and slammed it behind him. _He thinks he can get inside my head. Thinks he's the smart one. Well, I'll prove him wrong. This is my domain, and I will show him yet! Now, I have some challenges to plan._


End file.
